Monday, 18 January 2016

Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake off the south coast of Cuba.

The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km off the south coast of Cuba, slightly before 3.30 am local time (slightly before 8.30 m GMT) on SundaY 17 January
2016. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with
this event, however people have reported felling it in the Guantanamo Bay area.

The approximate location of the 17 January 2016 south Cuba Earthquake. Google Maps.

Cuba lies on the southern portion of the North American Plate, to the
north of the Septentrional Fault Zone, which forms the boundary with
the Gonâve Microplate, a small tectonic plate underlying northern
Jamaica and most of the island of Hispaniola. The Gonâve Microplate is
moving east relative to the North American Plate, pushed by the
Mid-Cayman Spreading centre to the west of Jamaica.

To the south the Gonâve Microplate is separated from the Caribbean Plate
by the Enriquilo-Plantain Garden Fault Zone, which runs across Southern
Haiti and the Dominican Republic. To the west the fault runs through
central Jamaica. The Caribbean Plate is rotating clockwise, effectively
moving east relative to the Gonâve Microplate.

None of these movements are smooth, with rock formations at the
boundaries of the plates constantly sticking together then breaking
apart as the pressure from the plate movement builds up, triggering
Earthquakes in the process.

Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organization Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

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About Me

Studied Palaeobiology & Evolution at the University of Portsmouth, Geosciences via the Open University & Ecology and Conservation at Christchurch University, Canterbury.
Have worked in wildlife based tourism, mineral exploration, development, conservation, education & environmental chemistry. Occasionally write articles for papers and magazines.

This Blog would be impossible without the work of countless scientists (and others) throughout the world. Where possible I do my best to credit them, but there will always be many more who remain unmentioned; this does not imply I am ungrateful for their contributions. Any errors or inaccuracies are, of course, my own.